Book of the Mouse Club

Walt Disney once said, "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on treasure island." Like us, Walt was inspired by books and enjoyed reading. If not, we would not have Disney's animated Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, or 101 Dalmatians nor live action films Swiss Family Robinson, Pollyanna, or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Walt learned the power of storytelling from books and...

Your hosts Courtney and Emily are so glad you joined them for the final installment of their Summer Cinema Classics series. In this episode, your hosts are joined by Mad Chatter Jeremey to read Eleanor Porter's children's classic Pollyanna. Celebrating its 60th "Pollyanna-versary", Disney's  live action film took the gladdest little girl off the pages of a book and put her on the big screen in 196...

Standby to dive! Dive, dive, dive deep into literary and cinema history along with hosts Courtney and Emily, joined by guest reader, Doug. We embark on a submarine voyage with Captain Nemo and M. Annonax aboard the famous Nautilus. Jules Verne's science fiction novel and Walt Disney's live action box office hit have countless differences, but the spirit of adventure and discovery endure inspiring...

Yo-Ho-Ho and shiver me timbers! Set sail with your hosts Courtney and Emily as they kick off their Live Action Summer Cinema Series with Robert Louis Stevenson's and Walt Disney's Treasure Island . Courtney and Emily are joined by podcaster, Dan Heaton, of the Tomorrow Society Podcast as first mate on this voyage. Together they discuss Disney's first full live action film in comparison to the orig...

Walt Disney was not just a patriotic American; he was a citizen of the world. Author and historian, Jeff Kurtti, joins hosts Courtney and Emily to take them on a global vacation through his book, Travels with Walt Disney: A Photographic Voyage Around the World . By land, sea, or air, Walt Disney travelled frequently for his company, the US government, and for his own enjoyment. Kurtti's book is pr...

Ready to journey into another bibbidi-bobbidi-book? Courtney and Emily's "Fairytale Favorites" series returns with the classic tale of Cinderella. From its ancient origins to Charles Perrault's classic tale to the pages of Grimm's Fairy Tales to the 1950 cinema screens, your hosts will discuss how the original text translated to Disney's animated feature film and beyond.  Review Book of the Mouse...

Hosts Courtney and Emily return to the show to discuss Kevin Rafferty's memoir, Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career, with guest reader and podcast host of Notably Disney, Brett Nachman. Kevin Rafferty is part of the second generation of Imagineers and his work includes fan favorites such as Tower of Terror, Test Track, Sonny Eclipse, and Carsland. His memoir is fun loving...

Hosts Courtney and Emily are joined by film historian and author, J.B.Kaufman, to discuss his book, The Making of Walt Disney's Fun and Fancy Free. Take a trip back to 1947 for one of Walt Disney's legendary package films featuring "Bongo" and "Mickey and the Beanstalk". Both features were in extensive development since the 1930s and changed animators and directors multiple times before becoming t...

"It's kind of a cute story" how this podcast episode came together. What started as a #DisTwitter tweet from @SuperWeenieHtJr turned into a Twitter discussion with @WEDReads then a podcast and author interview. Hosts Courtney and Emily are joined by not one, not two, but five guests throughout the episode to talk about author Jeff Heimbuch and Imagineer Roll Crump's book, "It's Kind of a Cute Stor...

Hosts Courtney and Emily interview author, editor, and historian Didier Ghez about his animation series, They Drew as They Pleased, specifically volume 5 The Hidden Art of Disney's Early Renaissance: The 1970s and 1980s. This volume features concept artists Ken Anderson and Mel Shaw who developed art for films such as Robin Hood, The Rescuers, The Artistocats, The Great Mouse Detective, and Beauty...

Faith, trust, and pixie dust are words often said, but Margaret Kerry actually got to live it! Host Courtney and Emily are joined by Margaret Kerry, the reference model and Marc Davis' inspiration for everyone's favorite fairy, Tinker Bell. In her book, Tinker Bell Talks , Margaret shares her memories on the Disney lot during the making of the animated feature, Peter Pan, as well as stories from h...

Looking to expand your Disney library? Your hosts Courtney and Emily invite popular Disney author, Jim Korkis, back to the podcast to discuss his vast Disney book collection and how to find new reading material beyond shopping at popular retailers. Jim also talks about some of his favorite rare finds and suggests some books to listeners that may not be on the bestseller list but offer a lot of Dis...

Park goers often reminisce about their favorite extinct attractions, but what about the attractions that never made it out of the planning phase? Your hosts, Courtney and Emily, find these "lost" attractions in Christopher E. Smith's book "The Walt Disney World That Never Was: Stories Behind the Amazing Imagineering Dreams that Never Came True." Visit Israel in World Showcase, laugh with Kermit at...

It's a small world after all! At least for author Dustin Engels who has traveled to every Disney park in the world. Dustin joins hosts Courtney and Emily to discuss his book, Arounds the Worlds in 80 Days . For many, traveling to all of the Disney parks is top of the bucket list and Dustin proves it can be done. This book is a perfect blend of Disney history, travel tips, rankings and personal exp...

Welcome foolish mortals to the last Book of the Mouse Club episode of 2019. Your ghost hosts, Courtney and Emily, come out to socialize with author Jeff Baham to discuss his book The Unauthorized Story of Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion in honor of the attraction's 50th anniversary in Disneyland. Come to where the crypt doors creak and tombstones quake and happy haunts materialize to learn about the...

Can we say something crazy? This is one of those cases where the movie was better than the book. Hans Christian Anderson's original fairy tale, The Snow Queen , has all of the classic fairy tale elements but Disney brought the pixie dust. Winter is a good time to stay in and cuddle with a good fairytale story and a Disney movie, so to celebrate the theatrical release of Frozen 2, hosts Courtney an...

Walt Disney was a tremendous story teller but there are many stories about Walt and the Walt Disney Company to be told as well. Jim Korkis is an author and historian with over 20 books dedicated to telling those stories. Hosts Courtney and Emily interview Jim Korkis about his career writing, researching, and telling Walt Disney's stories in his Vault of Walt series.  Review Book of the Mouse Club...

From the silver screen to television to VHS to DVD to streaming, the Walt Disney Company has always evolved with the latest entertainment technology. With the advent of Disney+, your hosts Courtney and Emily bring a literary perspective to the titles available on the new streaming service. Get ready to add to your reading list as you add to your watchlist! Review Book of the Mouse Club on iTunes a...

Just whistle while you work, and cheerfully together we can tidy up...Disneyland! Hosts Courtney and Emily interview former Disneyland Custodial Cast Member and author, Lynn Barron, about his and co author, Ken Pellman's, book series "Cleaning the Kingdom." There is a lot more to custodial than dustpans, brooms, and cleaning bathrooms. Keeping a spotless theme park was essential to Walt Disney's D...

We've got no troubles, life is the bubbles, under the sea with The Little Mermaid. Hosts Courtney and Emily continue the Fairytale Favorites Series with Hans Christian Anderson's classic. Come be a part of our world to learn about the fairytale's author and its origin and listen to the hosts discuss the original story and its themes compared to Disney's animated classic with launched the Disney Re...

Ready to begin? Let the wonder take hold. Feel it draw you in. Watch the moment unfold - as you meet and greet your favorite characters and watch the stories come alive around the Walt Disney World Theme Parks. Your hosts Courtney and Emily welcome back author Trisha Daab to talk about her new multi-volume series The Story Comes Alive: A Guide to Experiencing Movies and Characters at Walt Disney W...

To those who come to this happy podcast, welcome. Hosts Courtney and Emily return to Disneyland one more time with the Kingdom Keepers for a final battle in the seventh installment of the Kingdom Keepers series, The Insider.  Review Book of the Mouse Club on iTunes and Google Play and send any questions, comments, or suggestions to the hosts at bookofthemouseclub@gmail.com .  Follow Our Reading Jo...

Come sail away with hosts Courtney and Emily as they continue their journey with the Kingdom Keepers aboard the Disney Cruise Line in Kingdom Keepers Shell Game and Dark Passage . But this is no ordinary cruise, not when Finn and the other Keepers are onboard. Overtakers are cruising as well and that gives the Keepers few places to run while out at sea. This next installment is the most suspensefu...

Courtney and Emily continue their quest with the Kingdom Keepers to protect the Disney kingdoms from falling to the Overtakers in books three and four of the series, Disney in Shadow and Power Play. The Overtakers have learned more about the DHI technology and are becoming more bold in their strategy to build their army and take over the Disney magic. Explore defunct attractions, Epcot and Disney'...

Courtney and Emily are going on an adventure with the Kingdom Keepers! Find out what happens at Disney after hours when Finn and the other DHIs have to fight the Overtakers, a group of Disney Villains, and keep them from gaining control of the Walt Disney World parks. In this episode, Courtney and Emily discuss the first two books in Ridley Pearson's award winning series, Disney After Dark and Dis...